MP76-15 CAN PATIENTS COMPREHEND ONLINE INFORMATION ABOUT OAB TREATMENT? A READABILITY ANALYSIS

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You have accessJournal of UrologyUrodynamics/Incontinence/Female Urology: Non-neurogenic Voiding Dysfunction1 Apr 2014MP76-15 CAN PATIENTS COMPREHEND ONLINE INFORMATION ABOUT OAB TREATMENT? A READABILITY ANALYSIS Kevin Koo and Ronald Yap Kevin KooKevin Koo More articles by this author and Ronald YapRonald Yap More articles by this author View All Author Informationhttps://doi.org/10.1016/j.juro.2014.02.2408AboutPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissionsReprints ShareFacebookTwitterLinked InEmail INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES Overactive bladder (OAB) affects millions of people, who look on the Internet for information about this common condition. Although online resources about OAB are widely available, the comprehensibility of such material to an average adult with an 8th grade reading level is not well understood. This study systematically evaluates information about OAB treatment on the Internet to assess its readability. METHODS Three search engines representing 96% of Internet search traffic (Google, Bing, and Yahoo!) were queried for the keywords, "overactive bladder," "overactive bladder syndrome," and "OAB." The top 100 results were recorded daily for one month, to account for variability among individual searches. Duplicated, non-English, and non-OAB-specific websites were excluded. For each website, the domain, owner, and Health on the Net "HONcode" certification status were recorded. Text discussing OAB treatment was subjected to three readability tests: SMOG index, a standard metric for evaluating consumer health material; Dale-Chall Readability Formula, which assesses sentence length and vocabulary difficulty; and the Fry graph, which plots the mean number of sentences against the mean number of syllables, per 100 words. Statistical analysis was performed using Stata. RESULTS Of 342 links returned in the queries, 57 websites met inclusion criteria (Table). Mean SMOG index was 10.7 (SD=1.6), equal to a grade 11 reading level. Mean Dale-Chall score overall was 9.2 (SD=0.9), equal to a grade 13-15 or college reading level. On the Fry readability graph, the mean coordinates (177 syllables, 5.9 sentences) represent a grade 15 or college reading level. Based on SMOG indices, only 7 sites (12%) were written at or below the average U.S. adult's grade 8 reading level; none of the sites was at this level using the Dale-Chall or Fry tests. There was no statistical difference in the SMOG indices for commercial vs. academic sites (11.0 vs. 10.8, p=0.37), or for HONcode-certified vs. non-certified sites (10.6 vs. 10.8, p=0.23). CONCLUSIONS Based on 3 standard readability tests, information on the Internet about OAB treatment is written at a grade level exceeding most adults' reading ability. Websites that target easier readability may facilitate greater patient literacy about OAB. Table. Readability Characteristics of Websites about OAB Treatment n = 57 % SMOG Mean Dale-Chall Mean Dale-Chall Grade Ownership Commercial 20 35.1 11.0 9.2 13-15 Academic 11 19.3 10.8 9.2 13-15 Private Practice 11 19.3 10.6 9.4 13-15 Non-Government Organization 7 12.3 11.0 9.5 13-15 Government 3 5.3 10.1 8.8 11-12 Other 5 8.8 10.8 9.0 13-15 Health on the Net (HONcode) Certification Certified 17 29.8 10.6 9.1 13-15 Non-Certified 40 70.2 10.8 9.2 13-15 © 2014FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails Volume 191Issue 4SApril 2014Page: e887-e888 Advertisement Copyright & Permissions© 2014MetricsAuthor Information Kevin Koo More articles by this author Ronald Yap More articles by this author Expand All Advertisement Advertisement PDF downloadLoading ...